Press Release

Sight is the sense 9 out of 10 people fear losing the most

18 April 2008

The findings come as the first ever UK wide strategy for improving the eye health of the nation is published. The UK Vision Strategy, a major coalition of over 650 organisations and individuals including the Eye Health Alliance, sets the direction for a radical improvement in the population’s eye health. 

Around 50 percent of sight loss in the UK is preventable but people continue to lose their sight because treatable conditions are going undetected.  Right now as many as 250,000 people in the UK risk losing their sight simply because they don't know they have glaucoma.

Bob Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Optometrists, a member of the Eye Health Alliance, said; "this strategy shows how we can significantly reduce avoidable sight loss in the UK, and as a key building block, the importance of regular sight testing in spotting eye problems early enough for effective treatment cannot be over-stated."

The survey, commissioned for the launch of the UK Vision Strategy, also found a shocking lack of awareness of the leading cause of blindness in the UK with less than 1 in 6 people correctly identifying the condition: age-related macular degeneration.   Helping people understand how to best look after their sight and prevent avoidable sight loss is a key aim of The UK Vision Strategy which calls for increased investment in public awareness campaigns.

The UK Vision Strategy is a Vision 2020UK initiative, the umbrella body for the eye care sector which was set up in response to a World Health Assembly resolution in 2003, which urged the development of national plans to tackle sight loss.  All the organisations which make up Vision2020UK and have been involved in developing the strategy are committed to working with the UK Governments and partners from all areas of the sector, to develop a unified plan for action on all issues relating to eye health and sight loss, across the four countries of the UK.